hey, Barack, what's your problem?

After Hillary Clinton won the Democratic primary in Pennsylvania last week, the chorus of those demanding that Barack Obama seal the deal has become more strident. "Hey, Barack, what's your problem? Why can't you close the door on that woman?" Let's ignore the fact that, in reality, we're four months into the primary season. Of course, when the media decides it wants the presidential campaign to begin (at least) a year before any votes are cast in primary or caucus, I suppose it can feel like this thing should already be over with. Oh, democracy, what a wearisome form of government you are!

In the current issue of Utne Reader, David Schimke reflects on Obama and the (yes, I'll say it) hope he has generated. "Obama is a young man, and no matter what his political future, he too will disappoint the same people he instigated. It's inevitable. Nevertheless, the millions he's already touched will never forget this moment in history because, no matter your political stripe, there's no denying that our nation has been sleepwalking for the past eight years. We put the covers over our heads on September 12, 2001, got up to look around in 2004, and then hit the snooze button again, hoping that things would work themselves out. They didn't. And they won't."